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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Twins Dealt Poor Hand as Trade Deadline Approaches

With the July 31st trade deadline fast approaching,
trade talk is heating up and will continue to do so in the wake of the All-Star
break in Kansas City.
Given the Twins current position as AL Central cellar dwellers and 11 games
back of the currently leading White Sox they look to be sellers in a
market with more than its fair share of trade talk and speculation as a result
of more teams in playoff contention given the additional wild card position
available in each league beginning this season. So what position are the Twins
in to make deals that will have significant impact on an organization which has
many needs but is particularly bereft of high quality major league ready
pitching?

Many blogs have been expecting a large scale house cleaning
effort by the Twins in the coming weeks with the likes of Texas, Toronto,
Atlanta and Cleveland all being touted as potential trade partners for the
Twins, to name but a few. The Twins however find themselves with few quality
names to trade and will certainly not be able to acquire any blue chip
prospects, due to a variety of extenuating circumstances.

Carl Pavano was initially a name being mentioned after the
Twins awful start but with injury derailing his season, will not be dealt in
the buildup to the deadline. Another name that has been strongly linked to
trade discussion has been that of Denard Span. The consistent on base machine
has been paying well throughout this season and the Nationals have shown
interest in Span over a few consecutive seasons. The emergence of Bryce Harper
has certainly diminished this possibility as his .282/.354/.472 slash line
through 63 games outshine Span’s own line (.270/.334/.375), indeed Harper also
has more HR, SB and RBI than Span, in 15 less games played.

Justin Morneau is another Twin who has been linked with a
number of teams, most notably the Toronto Blue Jays. Morneau’s first half
numbers simply don’t do enough to entice teams to part with significant
prospects. The 2006 MVP was held to a .246 average through the first half of
the season, with 11 HR and 38 RBI and despite playing in 65 games (just 4 shy
of last years total), his history with chronic post-concussion syndrome,
middling form, inability to hit the ball to the opposite field this season and
bloated contract (in which he is due $14 million next season) make him less
likely to be dealt. Matt Capps remains a likely trade chip as the Twins have a
$6 million option on him in 2013 which they are unlikely to pick up. Despite
the fact that Capps has pitched well this season his DL stint prior to the all
star break derailed his momentum in which he had given up just 3 ER in his 8.1
innings pitched.

Finally there is Francisco Liriano. On Monday FOX sports Ken
Rosenthal reported that teams were ‘wary’ of trading for Liriano, despite an
ERA of 2.74 in 8 starts since his return from the bullpen including 52 strike
outs in just 49.1 innings. Rosenthal went on to report that it would be
unlikely that teams would part for significant prospects for Liriano, who many
teams see as a ‘bullpen option’. With Liriano becoming a free agent at the end
of the year, the Twins do not have much leverage or a significant history of
consistency from their mercurial ace to barter with, despite several reports
that the Braves have scouted Liriano’s last several starts.

The Twins could be in a far stronger position approaching
the trade deadline but impending free agency, injury history and a lack of form
has made it probable that the return they receive on any trades made will be
moderate at best, stay tuned for further updates.